CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 45: AN ANTIBIOTIC_1

After several more days of travel, even Si Yan, who was naturally poor at directions, desperately tried to recall the geographical knowledge she had once learned. Without a map, finding Dark Sun Lake was like searching for a needle in a haystack. The fact that they hadn’t encountered any other Beastmen, aside from a few wild animals, for so long was truly panic-inducing.

The children, however, didn’t seem to panic at all. In such a dire situation, their mindset was astonishingly better than hers. Si Yan even saw a sense of security and steadiness in their eyes. This was why she dared not let her inner turmoil show.

Dongchi’s condition worsened daily. The hot weather exacerbated his wounds, and Si Yan feared they could become infected at any moment as she lacked clean water to wash them.

Dongchi lay on Si Yan’s back. Being so close, he could always hear her breathing and heartbeat. He could feel her nervousness and unease. Yet, I’ve never felt as secure and peaceful as I do right now. Thinking back, when she sold me to Xiong Rou, that was the first time I was abandoned and betrayed. At that time, I felt as if I had lost my entire world. But now, my entire world has returned. She hasn’t abandoned me. Even in such tough times, she still hasn’t abandoned me. She could leave me behind at any moment now. If she abandoned me, I wouldn’t be angry with her anymore; I wouldn’t hate her anymore. I used to think letting go was so hard. Only now do I realize that all I ever wanted was not to be deserted, not to be abandoned.

"Mom..." Dongchi called softly.

"Dongchi," Si Yan glanced back at him. "Dongchi! Dongchi!"

Dongchi’s lips were pale, his complexion ashen. His body was weak and on the verge of collapse.

This is probably the first time I’ve regretted leaving the tribe. If sacrificing myself could ensure Dongchi makes it through this ordeal healthy and well, I would be willing.

"Mom," Bei Ji said, extremely worried, "is Big Brother going to die?"

Si Yan was wound up tight.

I woke up one day as the mother of four cubs, yet I’d always felt I was at best a stepmother or a godmother. But now, the pain in my heart tells me I’ve long since accepted myself as their real mother. I’ve accepted their hatred, their dependency, and their love. But now, seeing Dongchi lying beside the large tree, his face pale and his vitality fading, her reason was on the brink of collapse.

He’s infected. The wound is infected after all.

Xi Qing’s eyes trembled as he said, "Big Brother is going to die. I’ve seen other males in the tribe die like this. The Witch Doctor couldn’t save them. Big Brother... is going to be gone."

Si Yan’s heart throbbed painfully with a mix of despair, helplessness, and anger. "Hah! The main villain from the book, the one who thrust a sword through my heart! How can he die? Tell me, how can he die here?!"

"Mom..."

"He can’t die," Si Yan tilted her head back slightly. "This kid... he’s my son."

Xi Qing and Bei Ji were frantic with worry. Si Yan clenched her eyes shut and forced open that space which was incredibly difficult to access.

It was one and a half cubic meters, packed full of things. In the disordered space, her consciousness searched.

Maybe there’s something. Maybe I carelessly tossed it in when I wasn’t bothering to tidy up. Antibiotics... just one, just one will do. Oh God, please, let me find a single antibiotic in this cluttered space!

"Mom!!"

Blood trickled from the corner of Si Yan’s mouth. The strain of keeping the difficult-to-open space active for so long caused her immense pain.

Antibiotics... there must be antibiotics!

Whether it was fate or if some higher power heard her prayers, in the corner of a small weapons bag, she spotted a vial that shouldn’t have been there. It was a potion from her previous life that she had tossed in without finishing!

Penicillin!

Heavens! The heavens must have heard my prayer! Thank goodness for my past self’s messy habits!

Si Yan immediately took out the penicillin and syringe. Her cheeks were flushed, whether from excitement or the strain of keeping the space open for so long.

"I need to inject Dongchi with penicillin," Si Yan said.

Although Xi Qing and Bei Ji had no idea what Si Yan held, they trusted her at that moment, knowing it had to be something that could save their Big Brother’s life.

"Found you." A sinister voice came from beside a large tree. Xi Qing swiftly stood up, protectively in front of Si Yan.

The person who had arrived was Lang Xin from the Yanxiang Tribe.

Bei Ji took a step forward. "Has the tribe changed its mind? Are you here to take us back?"

Lang Xin looked at the family of four and smiled. "Is Dongchi dying?"

Xi Qing retorted, "It’s none of your business."

Lang Xin said, "This kind of illness Dongchi has—I’ve seen it many times, and every time, they’ve died. No exceptions. It seems he’s going to die too. I don’t think you’ll be sad, right? After all, I’m about to take you back to the tribe."

The prospect of returning to the tribe brought the children no happiness at all.

Bei Ji clenched his fists, and Xi Qing asked, "Are you really taking us back to the tribe?"

"Of course..." Lang Xin laughed. "I’m kidding!"

"Nan Mo’s dead. Dongchi is dying too. The Day of Raging Flames is coming, and you, you, and you—one after another, you will all die! Why would the tribe still want you? Especially you!" Lang Xin pointed at Si Yan. "Someone who doesn’t deserve him but stole Tai Seng away!"

As though she hadn’t heard a word, Si Yan slowly inserted the needle into Dongchi’s arm.

Lang Xin shrieked, "Si Yan, I want your whole family to suffer! I want all of you to die! Can’t you hear me?"

At this moment, the once most beautiful female of the Yanxiang Tribe seemed mad with rage. "You probably don’t know yet, do you? I killed Xiong Rou! I pushed Nan Mo off the cliff!"

Just as Si Yan gently withdrew the syringe, she slowly turned. Her eyes, fierce and murderous, landed on Lang Xin.

"Ooh, so ferocious, so vicious," Lang Xin said. "I like that look in your eyes. It gives me such pleasure."

"You’re really impatient," Si Yan said, her lips suddenly curving into a smile. "You knew the odds were against us after we left the tribe, yet you couldn’t rest easy. You wanted to kill us with your own hands, to watch us die."

Lang Xin laughed. "Si Yan, you’re not stupid. You’re absolutely right."

"But if I die, your Tai Seng will be devastated."

Lang Xin’s eyes suddenly gleamed with the Wolf Clan’s ferocity. "If Tai Seng is devastated, that’s the retribution he deserves for being blind! As for you..." Her voice dripped with malice. "I will crush you underfoot and listen to you beg for mercy!"

Lang Xin waved her hand, ordering the dozen or so males behind her, "Kill them for me."

The males were bound to obey their Mistress’s orders. Although they felt it was a pity for Si Yan’s vulnerable family to be wiped out, they had no choice.

Si Yan slowly stood up. She stepped forward a few paces and pushed her two cubs behind her. "Protect your Big Brother."

"Mom!" Xi Qing and Bei Ji called out, uneasy.

Suddenly, a piece of purple snake scale appeared in Si Yan’s hand.

If they want to die, they’ve brought it on themselves!